


Pharika's Cure

by Mertiya



Category: Magic: The Gathering
Genre: Elspeth needs a hug dammit, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Ficlet, Gen, Hugs, somewhat AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-11
Updated: 2014-04-11
Packaged: 2018-01-18 22:56:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,554
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1445902
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mertiya/pseuds/Mertiya
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In the aftermath of Xenagos's ascension to godhood, Elspeth wanders forsaken through the wilderness.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Pharika's Cure

            The temple, overgrown with tangled vines and ivy, was barely more than a silhouette that the years had eaten away.  It had probably been left by a band of Lagonna, driven out by worshipers of Nylea, or something more sinister.  Elspeth Tirel paused at the sight, stripping off her sweat-soaked hood and hairband.  She had been traveling through the wilderness for days now; how many, she didn’t know. She had lost sense of the flow of time, walking until she was exhausted, then sleeping until she woke, regardless of the passage of dawn and dusk.

            She pulled aside some of the hanging greenery, disturbing a flurry of small, brown birds, which flew up into the treetops with warbling sounds of displeasure.  Inside, the floor was carpeted with dead leaves, and, though the altar still stood, it was empty.  Elspeth approached sadly and then knelt before it.  A shaft of sunlight which had slipped through a hole in the roof landed on it, illuminating the intricate carven symbols of the sun-god.

            She put out a finger and traced the rays emanating from the sun until they came to an abrupt end.  The altar had several long cracks running through it, filled with black earth and squirming insects.  No longer Heliod’s territory, this was firmly ruled by Nylea, but still that little bit of sunlight shone bravely, though its feeble light could do little to ameliorate the oppressive darkness of the temple.

            When Elspeth spoke, her soft voice was almost swallowed up by the foliage. “It’s not me,” she said. It was suddenly difficult to swallow, and she hunched over, crossing her arms across her chest and holding herself, though she wasn’t injured.  “I’m not your champion.  You’ll have to find somebody else.”

            She found that she couldn’t move for several minutes, but finally she was able to unfold and lay the spear she carried across the altar. The beam of sunlight caught the haft for an instant, and then the spear rolled over into darkness. Elspeth stood loosely in front of the altar with her head bent, and finally she turned on her heel and walked away.  The hollow feeling inside her chest had only intensified.

            She kept walking, but her steps seemed even slower now, as if she was trying to climb a too-steep hill.  Her arms and legs were heavy.  Coming to a sudden slope, she tripped and fell; she didn’t react quickly enough to save herself, and slid and rolled until she came to a stop at the bottom of the hill with a bone-jarring thump.  Dazed, she lay and stared up at the rustling leaves overhead. It was oddly peaceful, just to lie there and stare upward, listening to the rustling of leaves in the trees. Elspeth let her eyes slide shut. She was so tired. She didn’t want to keep moving. Where had she thought she was going anyway?  Her limbs were too heavy.  She wanted the world to stop.

            “Elspeth!” At first, she thought the faint call was a distortion caused by the wind picking up and her tired ears. When it repeated, she realized she had been wrong.  “Elspeth!”

            _Go away_ , she felt like saying. There was no one on the plane she wanted to see.  There shouldn’t be anyone on the plane who wanted to see _her_.

            The noise of someone crashing down the slope behind her made her start to sit up.  She could hardly just lie here, as if she were injured, when there wasn’t anything wrong with her. That would be—wrong, or foolish, or—she wasn’t sure. 

            “Are you injured?”  She felt strong hands on her shoulders, lifting her tenderly, and she turned to meet the gaze of a single, earnest blue eye, frowning slightly beside the scarred remnant of its mate.

            “No,” she responded instinctively, but it came out in a whisper.

            “You look thin.  Hunted. Have you been feeding yourself?”

            When was the last time she had eaten?  There had been food at the victory feast.  She hadn’t been hungry since.  “No,” she whispered again, the answer almost surprising her.

            “Are you certain you’re not injured?”

            The concern in Ajani’s voice was more than she could bear. “Don’t,” she begged.

            “Don’t?” he echoed.  “I’ve been searching everywhere for you, Elspeth.  When I heard of the events on Mirrodin, I feared—” he broke off.

            “Why?” she asked, feeling as if she was missing something.

            The blue eye seemed to frown more, though she was hazy enough that it was difficult for her to tell.  “I care for you.”

            “Don’t,” she said again, wearily.  “Don’t, I don’t deserve it, I’m not worth it, I’m…”  The flood of words stopped as suddenly as it had started, and she put a hand over her mouth, shocked that she could have voiced such things.

            Ajani went still.  Only the lashing of his tail betrayed his agitation.  Elspeth shut her eyes, waiting for him to leave. There was a moment more of stillness, and then the press of warm fur all around her; her eyes flew open to find that Ajani had pulled her close and was holding her. 

            It was too much.  Elspeth buried her face in his shoulder.  Somebody was wailing, low and childish; her face was wet. Ajani’s large hands held her head and rocked her back and forth like a child.  “Shhhh,” he murmured.  His hands were soft against her hair. 

            After a few moments, Ajani stood up, with Elspeth in his arms. She tried to protest, but he spoke before she could form the words.  “You’ll feel better once you’ve slept and eaten.”

            The thought of food was surprisingly appetizing.  She nodded.

~

            _The forest was dark and littered with stars, above and below Elspeth’s feet.  She felt oddly weightless, as if she were walking on the sky. When she looked down, she saw that she was barefoot, and her feet left shining imprints on the path behind her._

_She walked until she came to the ruined temple once again, but now, the quiescent greenery writhed into wakefulness as she approached, and the temple blazed into light, shedding a warm, brilliant glow onto the ground and across the snakes which raised their heads and hissed at her as she passed, but did not strike._

_Inside, the altar was whole again.  Her spear still rested where she had left it, and, after hesitating, she walked up to the altar and stood before it._

_Ajani’s words had been harsher than his hands as he carried her back to where he had made camp, but not in a way Elspeth had expected.  He was silent until she told him she could walk by herself, and then he said, stern and angry, “How long has it been since you fed yourself?”_

_She couldn’t answer and had to look away._

_“You are not worthless, Elspeth.  You should not treat yourself so poorly.”  Then, as they continued to travel, he continued to speak. He told her everything that was good about herself, everything that was worthy.  It was wearying, and Elspeth couldn’t see most of the things he said, but—she trusted Ajani.  She trusted Ajani more than she had ever trusted anyone else, except perhaps Aran._

_As she stood, still mired in indecision, a figure detached from the darkness at the back of the temple, mostly human-shaped, with writhing tendrils of hair, a doorway into an infinite, star-studded night.  “Champion,” it whispered, and Elspeth stepped forward._

_“Who are you?” she demanded._

_“Peace, child, I am not your enemy.  In fact—” the figure seemed to smile, drawing two barely-visible fingers across its ill-defined torso, “I am your benefactress.”_

_Elspeth bowed her head.  “I am honored,” she replied, guardedly._

_“I have come to ask you if you will take up the mantle of champion once more,” the sibilant voice asked, “but it seems as if you have made the decision already.”_

_As it gave vent to a hiss of laughter, Elspeth looked down to see that her hands had closed about the spear in front of her, which glowed with a bright, blinding light._

~

            She woke to sunlight, a full belly, and Ajani’s arms shielding her from everything.  She rolled over with a groan, and felt him waken with a yawn beside her.

            “How are you feeling this morning, my friend?” he asked.  “Hungry?” he nudged her shoulder with a claw.

            Elspeth nodded.  “Ravenous,” she replied.  “I’m afraid I’m going to have a hard day.”

            “Oh?” Ajani asked, as he dug in his pack for supplies.

            “I went past a temple yesterday, and I need to find it again somehow.”

            Ajani gave her a long, studying look.  “Is this about your weapon?”

            Elspeth stared at him.  “How did you--?”

            “Just a feeling.”  He reached behind the log beside them and withdrew her spear, which he handed to her. “You shouldn’t be so careless with your things.”

            “Careless?” Elspeth echoed in confusion.

            “I believe I once returned your armor to you as well.”  Ajani grinned, and she couldn’t help but grin back in turn.

            “I’m sorry you have to pick up after me so often.”

            “It’s no trouble.  Let me get you some breakfast.”

            He started to rise, but Elspeth caught his arm.  “Ajani.  Thank you.”

            “It’s no trouble,” he said again, but there was something very tender about his expression. 

 

           

**Author's Note:**

> Not gonna lie, this is basically "Elspeth needs a hug and Ajani provides it." I'm sure this isn't actually how their reunion is going to happen, but that's okay. That is what AUs are for! Also I kinda ship them, but I really wrote this fic to be more friendship than shippy; I suppose the shippy is there if you squint for it.


End file.
